Bhagavad Gita BG 6.40
Chapter 6, Verse 40 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
श्रीभगवानुवाच । पार्थ नैवेह नामुत्र विनाशस्तस्य विद्यते । न हि कल्याणकृत्कश्चिद् दुर्गतिं तात गच्छति ॥
shri bhagavan uvaca partha naiveha namutra vinashas tasya vidyate na hi kalyanakritkashcid durgatim tata gacchati
Meaning
The Blessed Lord said: O Partha, there is no destruction for that one — neither here nor in any other world. No one who does good, my dear, ever comes to misfortune.
Understanding
One of the most merciful verses in the Gita. Direct and absolute: tasya vinashaha na vidyate — there is NO destruction for that one. Neither iha (here, in this world) nor amutra (in the other world — after death). And the principle behind it: na hi kalyana-krit kashcid durgatim tata gacchati — no one who does good (kalyanaKrit) EVER reaches a bad end (durgati). Tata — an affectionate address, like 'my dear.' The sincerity of the aspiration (kalyana — doing good, the good-doing of the one with shraddha) is the guarantee.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| विनाशः | vinashaha | destruction, loss, ruin |
| कल्याणकृत् | kalyana-krit | one who does good, a doer of the auspicious |
| दुर्गतिम् | durgatim | a bad end, misfortune, a wretched fate |
| तात | tata | my dear, affectionate address (literally: son/dear) |
| नामुत्र | namutra | nor in the other world, not in the beyond |
| श्रीभगवान् उवाच | śrī bhagavān uvāca | The Blessed Lord said (speaker attribution) |
| पार्थ | pārtha | O Partha (Arjuna) |
| न एव | naiva | never / not at all |
| इह | iha | here / in this world |
| विनाशः | vināśaḥ | destruction / ruin / loss |
| तस्य | tasya | his / that person's |
| विद्यते | vidyate | exists / is found / occurs |
| न | na | not (no one who does good meets a bad end) |
| हि | hi | for / certainly |
| काश्चित् | kaścit | anyone / any person |